In a short period, he had fought [Sky-shrouding] twice.
In the first battle, his [Heaven-Bearing Palm] suffered a crushing defeat. In the second battle, he relied on self-detonation tactics to heavily injure and force [Sky-shrouding] to retreat.
Does this count as challenging someone above my realm?
Inside the [Arctic Exorcism Court], Lu Yang seriously considered this question. [Sky-shrouding] possessed a higher cultivation base, so he figured it should count.
To be precise, after the [Arctic Exorcism Court] was refined, the gap in their cultivation was practically erased with the help of the supreme treasure. This was why [Sky-shrouding], who had easily defeated him in the first exchange, used even more methods in the second battle but still failed to take him down.
Phew...
Sitting cross-legged in the grand hall, Lu Yang exhaled deeply. He regulated the newly formed [Arctic Exorcism Court], watching billions of streaming lights surge through every corner of the room.
[Golden Liquid Returning Core Diagram]!
Utilizing the mighty power from [Sky-shrouding] and the self-detonation of the [Floating Light Realm Sea], yin and yang collided, and the dragon and tiger clashed. Lu Yang successfully integrated this method into the supreme treasure.
For a time, the entire hall was filled with a refreshing pill fragrance. Situated within it, Lu Yang merely took a light breath and immediately felt a warm current rush into his body through his nose and mouth. His heavily injured body began to recover rapidly, and his exhausted spiritual power became full once more.
His dormant profound wonders also showed signs of recovery.
In just a single breath, crystal-clear jade light surfaced around Lu Yang's body. All "flaws" melted away, returning him to his peak state.
"It can even do this..."
Lu Yang was astonished. After today, as long as the [Arctic Exorcism Court] remained, even if he only had a single strand of divine sense left, he could resurrect out of thin air.
Is this the effect the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak wanted to achieve?
In his view, the effect of the [Golden Liquid Returning Core Diagram] was quite simple—it maintained an object in a flawless, perfect state.
Both aimed to stabilize the mortal world, but the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak's line of thought was completely different from that of the World Honored One and the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak.
The latter two built the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Netherworld respectively; their approach was to continuously consolidate the foundation. Meanwhile, the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak's approach was to directly upgrade the material of the mortal world itself.
After all, a thatched cottage was nowhere near as sturdy as concrete.
Of course, due to his dissatisfaction with the Saint Sect's Ancestor, the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak ultimately abandoned this plan. Otherwise, he might have actually succeeded.
However, that brought up another point—
It seems the [Golden Liquid Returning Core Diagram] has nothing to do with breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?
What exactly is the Nascent Soul Pill?
Lu Yang tried to guess the principles of the Nascent Soul Pill from the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak's method, but came up empty-handed. After pondering bitterly for a long time to no avail, he could only give up.
Immediately after, he shifted his gaze.
Inside the towering hall, streaks of brilliant light lit up one after another. The Righteous Dao Banner, Tribulation Wave, Yellow Court, and Dragon-Banishment Ruler—four True Treasures took their positions in the four directions.
The four True Treasures each manifested the four concepts of metal, water, fire, and earth. They then collided with one another, drafting rules, anchoring the future, altering causes and shifting effects, and enlightening spirituality. Many profound wonders intertwined, but like a puzzle missing a piece, they could never be completed, and naturally could not display their mighty power.
Seeing this, Lu Yang reached out and beckoned.
The [Great Forest Wood] concept that had just been severed from [Sky-shrouding] floated out. Like smoke and mist, he separated a wisp of it and merged it into the towering hall.
Boom!
In an instant, accompanied by a loud bang, the four-colored radiance that originally filled the entire hall was finally completed with the last color. The five great profound wonders melted into one.
At this moment, the light actually dimmed. It was no longer as bright as before, nor did it have the characteristics of the five elements. Instead, it fused into a murky whole, like a boundless stretch of primal chaos. Standing within it felt like returning to the time before the light sea was born—where all things were indistinguishable from one another, and neither time nor space existed.
Is this the unification of the Supreme Five Elements?
Lu Yang tapped himself with the Dragon-Banishment Ruler. The Light of Wisdom surfaced in his eyes, and he then began to comprehend the profound light suffused with the colors of chaos before him.
Within the light sea, nothing cannot be absorbed.
Whether it is a divine ability, profound wonder, supreme treasure, or dao soldier, as long as it falls into this profound light, it will be immediately assimilated, which will in turn enhance its mighty power.
Besides this, there was also its explosive burst.
The current transformation of the profound light represented the state before the light sea was born, but there was another transformation that represented the exact moment the light sea came into being.
Let's give it a try!
Lu Yang felt exhilarated. If the mighty power of the light sea's creation was deduced to its absolute limit, how strong would it be? It might just become another killer move for him.
However, right at that moment, the radiance dissipated.
The colors of chaos faded, and the brilliance of the five elements became dazzling and eye-catching once again. However, it lost its previous unfathomable profoundness, and its conceptual level dropped to a lower tier.
"Is this because there is no True Treasure?"
Lu Yang furrowed his brows. Although he had obtained the [Great Forest Wood] concept, he did not have enough dao comprehension to refine a True Treasure, so he could only use it as a consumable.
The change just now occurred because the wisp of concept he had put in earlier was completely exhausted. While he still had quite a bit left in his hands, it would likely only be enough to sustain a single battle. Unless he refined it into a True Treasure capable of self-circulation and continuous derivation, this situation would be hard to avoid.
Let alone using it for Void Attainment.
"The dao comprehension for [Great Forest Wood]..." Lu Yang couldn't help but rub his temples. To get this thing, there was no bypassing that old geezer [Sky-shrouding].
Either forcibly extract his Golden Nature.
Or have him willingly hand over the information.
This is too hard.
Thinking back on it now, even if I could scheme against him to break his five elements perfection and cause him to lose his other Dao Fruits, forcibly killing him with my current cultivation isn't very realistic.
That old ghost also achieved Void Attainment for [Inversion], and his stature is at the Great Perfected Lord level. Although he has never used it, as long as I attack him, he definitely won't hesitate when his life is on the line. When that time comes, he will still be a Great Perfected Lord. Unless I reach the Heaven Treading stage, I won't be able to take him down at all...
Thinking up to this point, Lu Yang couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
However, he quickly regained his calm and turned his attention back to studying the [Arctic Exorcism Court]. As he studied it, his expression suddenly shifted.
This is...
The qualitatively transformed [Arctic Exorcism Court] actually gave Lu Yang a sense of deja vu. He thought hard about it for a long time before understanding dawned on him:
...It's the Netherworld.
That's right, the current [Arctic Exorcism Court] was very similar to the Netherworld!
Is the Netherworld also a supreme treasure? No, that's not right. It should be said that before the Netherworld was completed, it was a supreme treasure personally forged by the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak!
Given time, if I gather the True Treasures of the Supreme Five Elements concepts, my final Void Attainment will likely land on the [Arctic Exorcism Court], transforming it into an existence similar to the Netherworld—something akin to a Dao Fruit, a Great Dao, and a supreme treasure all at once... Am I walking the exact same path as the First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang's scalp instantly went numb.
According to his original plan, he was supposed to explore the Netherworld later. Yet now he was walking a path similar to it... It was hard not to feel suspicious.
Fuck me, could this be a trap?
He had to admit, this thought gave him quite a fright, but he quickly calmed down:
It shouldn't be. The First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak is still trustworthy... Rather than saying I'm walking his path, it's more accurate to say that all Great Daos eventually lead to the same destination.
The Saint Sect's Ancestor created [Paramita].
The Sword Pavilion Dao Lord and Dao Court Dao Lord created the [Heavenly Dao].
The First-generation Master of Beast Taming Peak created the [Netherworld].
In this godforsaken place, to reach the peak, one either had to walk someone else's path or forge their own—but in the end, they all yielded the same results through different means!
(End of Chapter)